Santa Barbara County was named one of the most generous communities in the country in GoFundMe’s newly released 2025 Year in Help report — a recognition that reflects thousands of small, individual acts of giving that, collectively, added up to something significant.
According to GoFundMe, Santa Barbara County ranked No. 10 nationwide for generosity last year, marking the first time the county has appeared on the platform’s top-10 list. More than 34,000 county residents donated through GoFundMe in 2025 — roughly one in 13 people living in Santa Barbara County contributed to a fundraiser.
The rankings placed Santa Barbara alongside counties across the country, including Los Angeles at No. 1; Marin County; Kings and Ulster counties in New York; Hampshire County, Massachusetts; Buncombe County, North Carolina; Chittenden County, Vermont; and nearby Santa Cruz and Ventura counties. California appeared more frequently than any other state on the list and was named the most generous state overall for the first time…